It was another successful season for Isaiah Joe in the 2024-25 campign. He cleared 40% from 3-point range for the third straight year and set career highs in points, rebounds and assists. 

There’s no doubt that Joe is one of the top perimeter shooters in the NBA, but he’s likely stuck as a specialist unless upgrades are made to the following areas. 

Defense

Joe’s subpar size and strength make him an easy target to attack on defense. Opponents were consistently dragging the sharpshooter into the action during the playoffs, thus forcing Oklahoma City to either aggressively send help or even bench him. 

It’s a shame because Joe’s outside shooting opens up a Thunder offense that is starved for spacing. 

In particular, high ball screens between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Joe are absolutely devastating. Gilgeous-Alexander’s driving and Joe’s shooting both exert strong gravitational pulls in opposite directions, which breaks apart the defense. 

Oklahoma City can also tinker with Spain pick-and-rolls. For example, Chet Holmgren sets a high ball screen for Gilgeous-Alexander, and then Joe sets a back screen on Holmgren’s man before popping out to the 3-point line. It’s a play that typically encourages defensive breakdowns, especially when it involves those three. 

But these benefits are unrealized unless Joe’s defense improves to the point where he is not a huge defensive liability in the playoffs. His offense has to be more impactful than his defense, and that often wasn’t the case during Oklahoma City’s title run. 

It does not matter too much in certain matchups, but Joe needs to level up defensively if he’s going to be a weapon in every series. 

Pull-up jumper 

Defenders morph into Usain Bolt when they try to chase Joe off the arc because he shot 45.4% on catch-and-shoot triples and 56.2% from the corners last regular season, per NBA.com. Developing a one-dribble, pull-up jumper would give Joe a nice counter for when defenders fly past him. 

It’s still a work in progress, as the marksman shot just 33.3% on pull-up jumpers last season. He typically hits the back of the rim on his misses, which is likely because his muscle memory is programmed for the 3-point line. 

Adding this arrow to his quiver is a quality goal for him. 

Cuts 

In addition to pull-up jumpers, cuts are another avenue to punish overzealous defenders. Joe increasing his backdoor cut frequency would give defenders second thoughts about being solely focused on denying catch-and-shoot looks. 

Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams are excellent at finding cutters from the top of the key, so Oklahoma City has the personnel to embrace this strategy. 

Overall, Joe should focus on adding elements to his offensive game that directly or indirectly facilitate more open shots from deep.

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